Games industry donates to Black Lives Matter and more to support US protests

Video games publishers and developers are donating to support organisations offering relief during the ongoing protests and race riots across the US.

Having already stated their support for the cause via social media, several major games companies have also pledged varying sums of money to Black Lives Matter, the legal defense fund set up by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and more.

GamesIndustry.biz is compiling a list of all industry donations, which you can find alphabetised below. If you or your company make or see any donations that are missing from this list, email news@gamesindustry.biz and we will continue to update this article.

As stated yesterday, GamesIndustry.biz and a number of its sister websites will be donating to Black Lives Matter, Black Visions, Collective, Minnesota Freedom Fund, the NAACP and other charities, local bail funds and organisations dedicated to ending injustice, oppression and discrimination.

You can make your own donations here.

Below is the list of industry donations announced so far:

2K Games

2K Games has committed an additional $1 million to the 2K Foundations Program, and expanded its mission to fight racial injustice and inequality in Black communities worldwide.

The 2K Foundations Program launched in 2018, and was created to support underserved communities by refurbishing neighborhood basketball courts, providing technology upgrades to youth community centers, and providing educational programming for young people.

343 Industries

The Halo developer has promised to donate 100% of the proceeds from all Halo 5: Guardians REQ Pack sales from between June 19 and July 19.

The revenue generated will be given to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. The company also promised to do more to tackle racist behaviour within its multiplayer community.

Activision-Blizzard

Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has donated $1 million to the United Negro College Fund, the Equal Justice Initiative, and Management Leadership for Tomorrow.

Additionally, both Kotick and the company itself have made separate $1 million pledges to match employee donations, with the aim of raising a total of $4 million.

Bethesda

The Elder Scrolls and Doom publisher has donated $250,000 to various organisations fighting for racial justice, although has not specified which ones. GamesIndustry.biz has contacted Bethesda for more information.

The publisher also detailed new diversity initiatives to broaden its own workforce, including the formation of a diversity council and employee resource groups led by Black staff and other minorities

Bossa Studios

Surgeon Simulator developer Bossa Studios is donating $100 for every member of staff to Black Lives Matter, and has promised to match any individual donations that members of its team choose to make.

Capcom

Capcom has said that it will donate an unspecified amount to unspecified charities.

It will also double-match employee donations, and offer employees a paid day off for volunteer work.

Chucklefish

Starbound and Wargroove developer Chucklefish has said it will make donations to "organisations fighting against racial oppression, and to those who nurture and support black talent."

It is also offering free sessions to Black game developers for pitches and production reviews, business inquiries, CV and cover letter reviews, and artist portfolio reviews.

Crayta

The game creation platform Crayta has started the Black Creators Prize Fund and Mentoring Programme, with the stated aim of "[amplifying] some of those marginalized creative voices within games."

The "most promising Black creators" working with Crayta's tools will be paid from a $10,000 pool in July, and an additional $2,000 for every remaining month in 2020.

You can read the full details of the initiative here.

DDM

DDM has donated an unspecified amount to the NAACP legal defense fund, and has committed to matching the first $10,000 donated by its employees to the same organization.

Devolver Digital

The indie publisher and its employees have donated $65,000 to a mix of 12 organisations, including Black Lives Matter, National Bail Out, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and Know Your Rights Camp.

Digital Extremes

Warframe developer Digital Extremes has donated $25,000 to Black Lives Matter, following up a previous statement supporting "justice...for black lives."

It has also pledged to improve Warframe's systems "to better protect against hate speech and racism, including zero-tolerance chat policies."

Double Fine

Psychonauts 2 developer Double Fine has donated $12,000 to three organisations: Black Lives Matter, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and US-based civil rights advocacy group Color of Change.

Electronic Arts

EA is donating $1 million to organisations that "fight for racial justice in the US and against discrimination around the world." Initial donations will be made to the Equal Justice Initiative and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, with more partners to be announced in future.

The publisher has also promised to double any employee donations made to these organisations via its YourCause program throughout the month of June.

In a statement, CEO Andrew Wilson announced it will be giving every employee an additional paid day per year for volunteering in their community, amounting to 75,000 hours.

Evo

The esports tournament organiser has donated $15,000, which will be split equally between two organisations: the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and We Love Lake Street, a Last Street Council project dedicated to rebuilding the businesses damaged or destroyed during the riots.

Flowplay

The online games company behind Casino World and Vegas World has donated $10,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

ForwardXP

Games publisher ForwardXP and its internal developer Forward Game Studios are donating $10,000 to three different organisations.

The money will be split between The Equal Justice Initiative, The Center for Black Equity, and Black Girls Code.

Fusebox Games

The developer of the Love Island mobile game has donated 100% of yesterday's profits to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, an organisation that campaigns for justice and provides assistance, training and career opportunities for young people facing discrimination in the UK.

Games Done Quick

Online speedrunning team Games Done Quick has donated $2,500 to We Love Lake Street. It has also pledged to donate all of its Twitch subscriptions and revenues raised throughout June to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Hidden Variable Studios

The developer of Skullgirls Mobile, with the help of its publisher Autumn Games, will be donating $38,531.40 to Black Lives Matter-related causes.

This represents all the revenue generated from in-app purchases made between June 4 and June 7. The company is currently assessing which exact organisations and charities it will be donating to while it waits for payment from Apple and Google.

Hinterland Games

The studio behind The Long Dark has donated $10,000 to two US organisations, split evenly between Black Lives Matter and the Minnesota Freedom Fund.

The Vancouver-based developer has also donated an additional CAD$5,000 to its local chapter of Black Lives Matter.

House House

Untitled Goose Game developer House House has donated $10,000, which will be split between more than 60 community bail funds and mutual aid funds.

Humble

The online games storefront has announced the creation of a $1 million fund that will be dedicated to publishing games from black developers.

In its tweet, it promised more information about this fund and "other ways we are actively supporting organisations" in the near future.

The organisation has also raised £3.5 million through the The Fight for Racial Justice Bundle, which was purchased by more than 130,000 people. The money will be split between the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Race Forward, and The Bail Project.

Itch.io

The indie marketplace is putting together a charity games bundle to raise money for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Community Bail Fund. Developers are invited to contribute their games or other projects.

The bundle launches on June 5 for a minimum of $5. It will be available through June 15, and proceeds will be split evenly between the two funds.

On June 16, the bundle finished with more than $8.1 million raised from 810,000 sales. You can read the full story here.

Jackbox Games

Jackbox Games has donated a total of $100,000 split between the Center for Policing Equity, Black Girls Code, and The Hidden Genius Project.

Additionally, the developer is planning for Quiplash 3, one of the games in its upcoming Jackbox Party Pack 7, to be the first of its games to include full content moderation in an attempt to mitigate harassment and other toxic user-submitted content.

"Unfortunately, the same mechanics that make our games personal and engaging can also be used to demean and harass," Jackbox wrote in its blog post. "We've heard from too many streamers who have flat-out quit playing Jackbox Games on their channels due to racist, sexist, homophobic, and otherwise toxic user-submitted content.

The features include allowing streamers or moderators to reject content before it is seen by anyone else in game using a separate view, even if they aren't actually playing, as well as automatic filtering of certain words.

Jagex

Jagex has donated £60,000 to the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, a UK charity devoted to inclusion and addressing poverty. It will also match all employee donations towards causes furthering racial equity and fighting prejudice.

The UK-based publisher noted: "We don't normally comment on political situations as a company. However, recent events mean that we must raise our voice and speak in solidarity with our black team members, players and the entire black community in opposing systemic racism."

Klei Entertainment

The developer behind Don't Starve has donated $1 million to be split between the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Defense Fun.

Little Orbit

Publisher Little Orbit is donating a total of $5,000, split evenly between the NAACP and Black Lives Matter.

"Please take a moment to demand that your congress person and senators vote for new legislation that prohibits the use of certain holds by police officers, provides guidance on use of force and escalation, requires state records to include officer misconduct and disciplinary histories, and implements citizen review boards for police accountability," the publisher said in a statement published to its official Twitter.

Mojang

On June 19, Microsoft-owned Mojang has pledged to donate all profits that day from the sales of Minecraft, Minecraft Dungeons, and all content in the Minecraft marketplace to Black Lives Matter Foundation, Equal Justice Initiative, and The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

June 19, referred to as Juneteenth in the United States, celebrates the day in 1865 that the Emancipation Proclamation -- the document issued by then-president Abraham Lincoln which declared all enslaved persons in the Confederate States of America were freed -- was read in Texas, the most remote state in the Confederacy.

Mojiworks

Mojiworks has pledged to donate all revenue it earns on June 11, 2020 to Black Lives Matter, along with matching all donations by Mojiworks employees made during June and establishing a permanent program to match employee donations to certain charities long-term.

Additionally, Mojiworks is establishing an internal diversity group, and committing to connect with BAME in Games and POC in Play for guidance on making a positive impact going forward.

Naughty Dog

Employees at The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog have been donating to various organisations, and PlayStation is matching these with its own donations.

The series' writer Neil Druckmann revealed he has donated $100 each to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Northside Achievement one, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, NAACP Special Contribution Fund and Race Forward.

His tweet shows Sony Interactive Entertainment has donated $500 to match his contributions.

Niantic

In a public statement, CEO John Hanke has pledged to donate all of Niantic proceeds from Pokemon Go Fest 2020 sales, with a minimum commitment of $5 million.

Half of the donation will go to fund new projects from black gaming and AR creators that will be brought to Niantic's platform, and the other half to US nonprofits helping local communities rebuild in the wake of instances of police brutality.

Niantic has also pledged $100,000 to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, and will also match employees donations up to $50,000.

The company is additionally increasing its commitment to diversity in tech organization Treehouse, and expanding its partnership with Gameheads including a total of $60,000 toward scholarships, the annual showcase, and a new Developing for AR 101 program.

Finally, Niantic has promised to develop new diversity and inclusion initiatives within the company, for which it will provide more details in the future, and is offering employees an additional day per year on top of four existing days to either attend a Niantic event or volunteer.

Obsidian Entertainment

Obsidian Entertainment has donated $25,000 to the NAACP, "to help those that are fighting for justice."

The Outer Worlds developer released a statement that offered its commitment to supporting local organisations and "improving hiring practices" to ensure that "black voices in gaming" are better represented.

The Pokemon Company

The Pokemon Company International has announced it will make a $100,000 donation to the NAACP and an additional $100,000 donation to Black Lives Matter.

On June 12, the company announced it would match Niantic's donation of a minimum of $5 million to various non-profit organisations around the world. In particular, Pokémon will be supporting organisations that provide education and mentorship opportunities for Black children.

Riot Games

The League of Legends developer has promised to make donations from its Social Impact Fund to organisations that call for nationwide reform of the criminal justice system, long-term solutions to address racial bias, and local communities with a focus on black-owned businesses.

Specifically, it has committed $1 million, with initial contributions going to The Innocence Project and the ACLU; it will also match donations of up to $1,000 per employee for any staff member that donates to such organisations.

Riot has also pledged to set aside $10 million toward investments and start-up programs focused on founders from underrepresented backgrounds within the games community, and will partner with Florida A&M to fund scholarships through the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.

Square Enix

Japanese publisher Square Enix has donated $250,000 to Black Lives Matter and other charities. It will also match all employee donations to Black Lives Matter or other organisations of their choosing.

Street Fighter community

The community around Street Fighter 5 hs raised more than $17,500 for charity through a livestreamed tournament.

As reported by Destructoid, the tournament was started by members of the Street Fighter 5 subreddit, with administrator Joe Munday making an initial donation of $200. The event was contested by more than 100 players, and the total raised is now above $17,500, which will be divided among several charities related to Black Lives Matter.

Supercell

The mobile games developer behind Clash of Clans has donated to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, although it has not yet disclosed how much it will contribute.

The studio has also promised to matche very employee donation to these and any other organisations responding to the situation.

Thatgamescompany

The studio behind Journey and Sky: Children of Light has donated $20,000 to Black Lives Matter and the NAACP. The donation was announced in a statement condemning the racism, violence and police brutality experienced by black people everywhere.

Ubisoft

The Assassin's Creed publisher has donated $100,000 to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, and is encouraging further donations from its players.

Other donations

The following companies have donated undisclosed sums to the specified organizations:

• Ascendant Studios -- The NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• Netspeak Games -- An unspecified Black Lives Matter bail fund
• Payload Studios -- Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
• Pole to Win -- ACLU
• Sega -- Unspecified charities
• Sumo Group -- Various "anti-racist charities" in the UK, Canada, and India
• Team17 -- Stand Up to Racism

If you or your company make or see any donations that are missing from this list, email news@gamesindustry.biz and we will continue to update this article.